Comadres according to most dictionaries is defined as the name a godfather and godmother address the mother of their godson or goddaughter, and vice versa… ellos son Comadres~
They are Co-mothers~
LAS COMADRES, which is headed by Nora De Hoyos Comstock and a team of Comadres nationwide and internationally have taken this definition one step further. Las Comadres is a nationally known Latina organization whose aim is to connect and empower women to be active in the growing Latino/Hispanic communities through online and face-to-face networks, community building, with discussions on culture, education, and technology for almost 25 years.
Nora Comstock flew to New York to celebrate three incredible women who are participating in the Downy Touch of Comfort’s project: QUILTS FOR KIDS. On May 4th, 2010 I was invited to join Las Comadres and learn about this special project. In honor of mother’s day, (10) New York Comadres met to share stories on the wonderful work they are doing to serve the community. We met at the East Harlem Café where I listened to beautiful quilting stories and how proud they were to show the rest of us what they have done.
All the women came together to learn from (3) Comadres how they too could get involved with the Downy Touch of Comfort program. Quilt for Kids is a nonprofit organization affiliated with Downy… their mission is to make quilts for children in hospitals all over the country. The Quilts for Kids organization has donated 60,000 quilts, Downy has committed to 10,000 quilts and Las Comadres from all over the country will be donating 100 quilts. This beautiful collaboration Nora Diaz says is all about “giving these children a little a touch of comfort.” Diaz shared her passion for wanting to create something beautiful for these kids who are in hospitals, those who need special care and the importance of being a part of a project that makes a child feel better.
Nora Comstock spent some time talking about the importance of this initiative informing us that the Children’s Miracle Network has reported that there are 6 million children who are in hospitals across the country. She encourages all of us to come together and join Las Comadres in this Hispanic Outreach saying, “it’s a sense of giving back to the community through us.”
I asked Nora Diaz what she wanted the kids to feel when they received the quilt she making for them, “as I was making my quilt I was blessing it. I hope my quilt goes to a child who’s going to get better when they receive it. I pray that a child responds well to medication. I want this child to know there is life after being ill.” She hopes that each child who receives a quilt will get better – when they have that quilt wrapped around them. That the quilts bring them love, hope, faith and comfort.
How to get involved:
• By donating fabric – to quilts for kids
• If you cant make one – donate one… buy the fabric and send it to quilts for kids… buy bright colors, think of things that kids like love fairies, trucks, princesses, Disney themed, sport or superhero themed designs that will brighten a child’s day.
There are 3 ways you can bring this project to your community:
1. Sew a quilt
2. You can get a quilt from downy.com
3. Buy a bottle of Touch of Comfort
I am very proud to be a member of the Las Comadres organization and urge you to join this effort of bringing comfort to children~
For more information on the Quilts for Kids program: www.quiltsforkids.org
For more information on Las Comadres please visit: www.lascomadres.org
